Dellucci homer lifts Indians over Tigers

May 27, 2007 - 12:46 AM
DETROIT (Ticker) -- David Dellucci stole the show from two of
the American League's premier starters.

Dellucci snapped an eighth-inning tie with a two-run blast to
lead the Cleveland Indians to a 6-3 victory over the Detroit
Tigers on Saturday.

C.C Sabathia (7-1) pitched seven solid innings to earn the win,
allowing three runs and six hits while striking out six.

"I felt pretty good out there," Sabathia said. "My arm and legs
were the best they felt in a long time.

"I just tried to make my pitches. I wanted to keep my team in
the game, giving them a chance to score some runs and win the
game."

Saturday's game was billed as a battle between the aces of the
AL Central's top two teams, and through six innings, neither
Sabathia nor the Tigers' Justin Verlander did much to
disappoint.

"This is the toughest division in baseball," Indians manager
Eric Wedge said. "Everyone understands that. It's going to be
a dogfight every game."

However, on the same day that Detroit placed another of their
ace relievers - Fernando Rodney - on the disabled list, the
bullpen could not hold a lead.

"I don't feel frustrated," Rodney said. "But I feel bad because
the team needs me and right now I can't pitch. That's why I
feel bad. I see the bullpen now and that's why I feel bad."

After Bobby Seay allowed the tying run in the seventh,
righthander Jason Grilli started the eighth by allowing
back-to-back hits, the second of which was Dellucci's two-run
blast to deep right to put the Indians on top, 5-3.

Grilli (2-2) suffered a leg contusion and was replaced when Ryan
Garko's line drive hit him in the leg.

"I went up looking for a sinker," Dellucci said. "He gave me a
slider and I was able to keep my hands inside of it and hit it
into the air."

After Tom Mastny pitched a scoreless eighth, closer Joe Borowski
worked out of a jam to record his 16th save. With the win,
Cleveland pushes its lead in the Central to 1 1/2 games over the
Tigers.

Detroit manager Jim Leyland is suddenly searching for reliable
arms in the relief with flamethrower Joel Zumaya and now Rodney
on the shelf with injuries.

"We'll mix and match," Leyland said. "Anybody's pitching at any
time, except for (closer Todd) Jones."

The Tigers opened the scoring in the second when Marcus Thames
drove Sabathia's 1-1 offering over the wall in left-center
field.

The Indians wasted little time jumping on top, plating a pair of
runs in the next half-inning. Grady Sizemore walked leading
off the frame, but Verlander got two quick outs before Martinez
hammered his 2-0 pitch over the wall in right to give Cleveland
a 2-1 lead.

"We have been staying with our game plan," Martinez said. "We
try to get a good at-bats every time out and good things will
happen for us."

Detroit evened the score in the fourth when Gary Sheffield, who
doubled leading off the inning, came in to score on Carlos
Guillen's double-play groundout. The Tigers pulled back ahead
in the sixth when Magglio Ordonez's sacrifice fly plated Placido
Polanco. It was Ordonez's major league-leading 46th RBI of the
season.

Verlander was removed following the sixth. The lanky
righthander yielded two runs and three hits while striking out
five and walking four.

"I think it was pretty evident that I wasn't as sharp as the
last outing or the one before that," Verlander said. "Same
token, I was able to battle through six but I'm a little bit
disappointed in myself that a couple walks here and there,
wasn't able to make it seven, which was something that I knew
going into the game that I'd probably have to do is go late in
the game."

Verlander was in position to notch his fifth straight win before
Seay surrendered back-to-back, one-out extra-base hits to
Sizemore and Casey Blake to tie the score at 3-3.

Polanco left Saturday's game with a muscle spasm in his oblique.
He is listed as day-to-day.

ALAT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATETWO-RUN HOME RUN BY DAVID DELLUCCI (2) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN THE 8TH OFF JASON GRILLI SCORED JHONNY PERALTA.CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 5, DETROIT 3DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: R GARKO (.328, 0-FOR-3)

ALAT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATETWO-RUN HOME RUN BY VICTOR MARTINEZ (8) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT IN THE 3RD OFF JUSTIN VERLANDER SCORED GRADY SIZEMORE.CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 2, DETROIT 1DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: T NIXON (.289, 0-FOR-1)